Mangaroos
A book club where three survivors of corporate Japan with years of localization experience read manga in Japanese and then talk about it in English! If your mom has a favorite manga podcast, it’s this one. Just ask her!
Episodes
44 episodes since 2023
Ep. 44 - Tokimeki Tonight vol. 1, by Koi Ikeno
Being a teen in love is hard -and it's even harder when your mom is a werewolf and your vampire dad forbids you from dating humans! But with a lone wolf hunk as hunky as Makabe, falling in love might be the only way out for our hero, Ranze ...
September 06, 2024
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Episode 44
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1:11:09
Ep. 43 - Kagurabachi vol. 1, by Takeru Hokazono
Kagurabachi is the manga for anyone who's read Jujutsu Kaisen and wished it was good. It's a cinematic pastiche. A rush of styles and influences exploding onto the page by super-talented newcomer Takeru Hokazono that all just barely manages to ...
August 30, 2024
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49:35
Ep. 42 - The Summer Hikaru Died vol. 1, by Mokumokuren
This may not be news to you, but one of Alex's secret missions throughout the history of Mangaroos has been to get Mark and Jayson to read a BL manga. Well, it's finally happened! And all three of us have nothing but good things to say about th...
August 23, 2024
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57:57
Ep. 41 - Jujutsu Kaisen vol. 1, by Gege Akutami
Jujutsu Kaisen: modern Shonen Jump classic, or merely the inspiration for an amazing anime adaptation? We'll get to the bottom of this mystery, while also discussing gnarly old finger-shaped convenience store snacks, and finding out exactly wha...
August 15, 2024
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58:45
Ep. 40 - Spacewalking with You vol. 1, by Inuhiko Doronoda
The Roos review another winner of the Manga Taisho Award, Spacewalking with You (Kimi to Uchū o Aruku Tame ni). Self reflect on your personal difficulties in life and overcome them together with us, just like best buds Uno and ...
July 29, 2024
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1:11:00
Ep. 39 - Fullmetal Alchemist vol. 1, by Hiromu Arakawa (feat. Alistair)
Mangaroos double dips for the first time ever for the much-beloved Arakawa-sensei!FMA expert Alistair takes time from his pilgrimage across Shikoku to take over as guest host on a grainy green payphone to ask the Roos tough que...
July 17, 2024
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Episode 39
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1:06:39
Ep. 38 - Skip and Loafer vol. 1, by Misaki Takamatsu (feat. Minami Sakai)
Every day's a little more colorful when Mitsumi's around! Misaki Takamatsu's Skip and Loafer is a love story, in that it is a story that you will fall in love with, unless you have a heart of stone. Come and listen to us gush about our sparkly ...
May 28, 2024
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1:00:44
Ep. 37 - Fist of the North Star vol. 1, by Tetsuo Hara and Buronson
Coming to you live from the Saizeriya in the heart of beautiful downtown Gunma! We're talking about one of the behemoths of Japanese pop culture, Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken), and yes we make all the requisite "you wa shock" jokes and...
April 30, 2024
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57:36
Ep. 36 - Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic vol. 1, by Shinobu Ohtaka
Magi is an endearing shonen adventure story with a charming little protagonist. It's got magical creatures, dungeon exploration straight out of a classic JRPG, and best-in-class reaction shots. It is also, somewhat inexplicably, the second flut...
April 15, 2024
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51:38
Ep. 35 - Dogsred vol. 1, by Satoru Noda
With all the classic sports manga series that have come and gone over the years, it's a wonder that it's taken this long for a really great hockey series to hit the ice. And since Mangaroos is one-third Canadian, we're legally obligated to talk...
April 02, 2024
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1:06:14
Ep. 34 - Kingdom vol. 1, by Yasuhisa Hara
FIRST: We had to pay tribute to the late Akira Toriyama. The world lost a true legend earlier this month. SECOND: Yasuhisa Hara's epic historical action series has been appearing in Weekly Young Jump since 2006, and it's a global sensat...
March 15, 2024
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1:19:35
Ep. 33 - Daemons of the Shadow Realm vol. 1, by Hiromu Arakawa
For fans of manga, Hiromu Arakawa needs no introduction. She's responsible for the mega-ultra-successful and popular Full Metal Alchemist, as well as the acclaimed Silver Spoon, among other works. Now, here comes Arakawa Sensei's latest series,...
March 02, 2024
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1:04:03
Ep. 32 - The Promised Neverland vol. 1, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu
The Promised Neverland, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu, begins with a simple question: What if an orphanage was also a factory farm that produced food for demonic otherworldly entities? As high concepts for shonen manga series go, that's abou...
February 11, 2024
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1:07:03
Ep. 31 - EVOL vol. 1, by Atsushi Kaneko
Atsushi Kaneko is an underground manga hero for a reason, revered around the world, and especially in Europe. EVOL is his wild, punk rock take on anti-super heroes and the decaying of our social fabric. In it, we find teens in menta...
February 04, 2024
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1:05:24
Ep. 30 - Vagabond vol. 1, by Takehiko Inoue
It's no secret that Takehiko Inoue is one of the undisputed masters of the manga art form, so it's about time we gave one of his works the Mangaroos treatment. Vagabond is an epic historical action manga, with some of the most gorg...
January 19, 2024
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1:21:25
Ep. 29 - To Your Eternity vol. 1, by Yoshitoki Oima
The English title of this book is To Your Eternity, but in Japanese it's called 不滅のあなたへ (Fumetsu no Anata e). Whatever you like to call it, Yoshitoki Oima's second hit series isn't quite like anything else, in any medium. The eleva...
January 11, 2024
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1:05:55
Ep. 28 - Pyu to Fuku! Jaguar vol. 1, by Kyosuke Usuta
Jaguar is an eccentric man with a shock of red hair, a heart full of passion, and a recorder (flute). He took Japan by storm in the early 2000s, and we are all richer for it, even if we don't realize why or how. In this life, you are either a g...
January 04, 2024
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1:10:50
Ep. 27 - Witch Hat Atelier vol. 1, by Kamome Shirahama
Do you wear a hat with a brim or not? We explore this question and whether art is magic in this episode about Witch Hat Atelier! Discover which witch Mark and Jayson feel affinity for as we discuss plot elements maybe beyond volume one (but no ...
December 16, 2023
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1:13:34
Ep. 26 - Witch Watch vol. 1, by Kenta Shinohara
The time has finally come for Jayson to rave about his favorite current ongoing manga series! We all know how he feels about it, but what about everyone else? Is Witch Watch a subtle and hilarious love letter to manga as an art form? Or is it j...
November 30, 2023
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1:01:58
Ep. 25 - Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun vol. 1, by Tsubaki Izumi (feat. Minami Sakai)
The fourth Mangaroo is back! We're always happy to have Minami Sakai drop by Mangaroos Mansion, because she provides us with hard-earned manga industry insider knowledge. And what better manga to apply that wisdom to than Monthly Girls' Nozaki-...
November 23, 2023
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1:10:26
Ep. 24 - A Bride's Story vol. 1, by Kaoru Mori
If you've never read A Bride's Story before, then throw all your preconceptions about it out the window. Unless one of those preconceptions is about it being an absolute masterpiece—keep that one. We're talking perfectly paced action scenes. Im...
November 13, 2023
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1:17:05
Ep. 23 - Bleach vol. 1, by Tite Kubo
We're back! This week we're discussing one of the so-called "Big Three" from the Shonen Jump boom of the early-2000s. Bleach is a rock and roll song in manga form. It's a battle manga with supernatural flair. It's a wildly incoherent blend of i...
November 05, 2023
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1:09:13
Ep. 22 - Kininatteru Hito ga Otoko ja Nakatta vol. 1, by Sumiko Arai
WE'RE BACK. Did you have a fun summer vacation? We did! And now we're back to discuss Kininatteru Hito ga Otoko ja Nakatta (The Guy She Liked Wasn't a Guy At All!) by Sumiko Arai, a Twitter sensation published in book form! (Twitter still exist...
August 21, 2023
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1:12:49
Ep. 21 - Erio to Denki Ningyou (Erio and the Electric Doll) vol. 1, by Mujirushi Shimazaki and Kuroimori
The war against AI is over, and humanity is attempting to rebuild, having suffered devastating defeat. And what's crazy is, that's also the plot of this manga! Erio is a naive young woman with unusual electric powers, in a world where electrici...
July 17, 2023
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1:10:56
Ep. 20 - Kindergarten Wars vol. 1, by You Chiba
A kindergarten for the children of the world's super-elite, where the staff are all ex-prisoner lethal assassins? What could possibly go wrong! Kindergarten Wars combines the unconventional work/life dynamics of Spy x Family with the over-the-t...
July 03, 2023
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1:20:05